Cousins
by Nishh
Summary: Mary and Colin are sixteen, and grow ever closer. Lord Craven cannot accept this, and orders Mary to be locked away. But they won't be kept apart for long. Mary x Colin.
1. Mary's Birthday

It was early in the morning when Mary found herself awake, feeling hot and stifled between the heavy bedsheets. Her head ached slightly as she sat upright, surveyed her plain bedchamber for a while, and finally slipped out of bed. The room was chilly – it was mid-October, and summer was definitely over now.

She was already dressed by the time Martha entered, without a breakfast tray. The maid beamed at her as Mary looked on, puzzled.

'It's your birthday, Miss Mary! Your uncle hoped you'd eat breakfast in the parlour with him and Colin today…'

'Oh, yes! I'll come downstairs right away.' Mary replied, smiling back. She pulled on some shoes and headed down the main stairway.

The parlour was a great deal warmer than upstairs – there was a welcoming fire in the grate, by which her uncle and cousin were seated in large armchairs. A table nearby was laden with hot buttered toast and a pot of tea. Upon seeing her, Colin leapt up from his seat and pulled her into a chair near him, laughing. Mary began to help herself to some toast and jam, but she could not ignore her uncle's gaze as she ate. He was frowning slightly, but then again, wasn't that usual for him? Colin chatted to her contentedly, completely unaware.

'As I was saying, Mary, your presents are in the corner there...I was hoping you'd open them this morning. I'm sure you'll like them.' He said, his eyes sparkling. Mary smiled back at him.

'Of course I will. I'll open them in a minute, when I've finished eating…'

Colin was right – the presents were lovely. He had chosen her a lovely china blue dress of the finest satin, with slippers to match. There was also French perfume that smelled like roses, which was almost as delightful as the scent of the roses in the Garden, in summer. All that remained was a little box. Mary opened it to reveal a beautiful silver locket. Mary could hardly contain her excitement, and kissed her cousin on the cheek, grinning.

'Oh, Colin! These are so lovely…you must have gone to so much trouble…' she said, and he tweaked her nose slightly, making her giggle.

'I want you to wear them to dinner this evening, as it's your birthday. She'll look wonderful, won't she, Father?' Colin said, turning to the older man in the chair. His father smiled and nodded, but Mary noticed there wasn't a twinkle in his eye.


	2. Dickon

After breakfast, Mary and Colin decided to have a stroll in the gardens before lunch. They walked arm in arm, chatting happily as they went. The hedges surrounding the gardens bore rust-coloured leaves, and were bare in places. The grass was wet with the rainfall from the night before, and birdsong could be heard amongst the trees. The robin could be spotted flitting about the entrance to the Garden, awaiting them. As they pushed open the door, cold droplets of water fell on their clothes and hair. Colin laughed at her as she shuddered, brushing the water off her face.

Dickon was in there, as usual, tending to the flower beds. He waved at Mary and Colin, who ran over to greet him. He had changed a lot in six years – he was taller and broader, with stubble on his face. He spent less and less time with the other two, preferring to roam the moors on his own. He still had a way with the animals like Mary had never seen, and he delighted in showing them his newest finds whenever he passed by. Mary remembered Martha telling her about how all the village girls wanted to marry him, which made her smile. She missed his company, but she knew deep down that their friendship would never have remained as strong as it had been, when they were ten years old. A fox slinked in from around a tree. Dickon laughed and patted its back, winking at the other two.

'I'd best be getting along, Miss Mary, Master Colin. You'd best head back to the house, it's getting colder here.' He said, and began to climb over the tall fence. The cousins watched him go, quite sadly, and disappear out of sight.


	3. The Troubles of Lord Craven

Slightly longer chapter this time! I'm sorry it took so long to write, I've had exams recently and they're driving me mad. Enjoy. -EMP

* * *

Mary soon found her birthday supper to be an awkward affair. The table was unusually silent – normally, Mary thought to herself, her uncle engaged them in light-hearted conversation, but today he seemed subdued. He had aged significantly since Mary had first arrived at Misselthwaite: his hair was greying and lines had slowly begun to etch his face. Although the food was delicious, Mary was anxious. She was no fool – she supposed he and Colin had had a private argument recently, even though no such thing had been mentioned to her.

She had also noticed, over time, how Colin's attitude towards her had changed. He seemed more attached to her than ever before. He no longer demanded her to sit with him at his bedside and tell him stories of the outside world, yet he spent as much time with her as he possibly could. As his health had improved so greatly since he had met her, his father had taken to going on trips to London with him for a few weeks at a time. Mary thought it best to stay behind, as she knew how Colin valued time with his father after all those years of being locked away, even though she had been invited to join them. There had been no such trip for a while now, which worried Mary further.

Mary, although she had not thought it possible at first, was steadily coming to terms with the fact that she had come to care for Colin as more than just her cousin. She looked at him across the table from her, his handsome face pleasantly illuminated by the candlelight. His smile was the most enchanting, Mary thought, that special, honest smile that clearly displayed his good nature. He was smiling at her now, as the plates were cleared away from the table…

* * *

_Lord Craven had a lot on his mind._

He found himself indulging in solitude almost as much as he had in recent years, when the pain of losing his wife was still fresh…fresh as it ever was, he thought, surveying the table. His niece, Mary, looked exquisite in her new clothes. He hoped she was enjoying herself.

As the family said goodnight and each walked back to their bedchambers to rest, Archie followed the corridor to his study. The study was always a dark room, even in daylight, as if it had absorbed some of the grief of the inhabitant. He paused to light a candle, his hands clumsy, accidentally burning his fingers. Cursing, he surveyed the contents of his cluttered desk, and selected the contact card of the reputable London doctor, to which he really ought to pay a visit. He had been feeling a great deal better over the summer, since the operation, but the pain had slowly begun to return. Of course, he had told Colin and the girl that he had been on a business trip, and they had believed him, even though he kept to his room more than usual upon arriving home. Medlock had assured him that the majority of his staff had no idea of his illness, which was a comfort. It was during those weeks of recovery, having made clear his intent that he should not be disturbed, that he became accustomed to spending increasing amounts of time alone.

Of course, when the wound in his side had fully healed and he had been able to join the rest of the household, he had noticed his son's changing attitude towards Mary. It was wrong, of course – utterly wrong. Their mothers were identical twins, he thought; they may as well be siblings! No, it would not do. In a few years, his son would be quite the catch for eligible young ladies in the vicinity. This would be seen as a childish flight of fancy, Archie thought, given time. In the meanwhile, however, it would be necessary to hinder such developments as soon as possible.


	4. The Locket's Secret

Hi everyone : ) well, my GCSE's are finally out of the way, so I'll have a lot more time to spend on FanFiction. If you have any ideas as to how the plot could be improved, please let me know in a review! – EMP

* * *

Mary opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling above her. The heavy bed sheets were wonderfully warm, and she could feel her heart beating steadily inside her chest. The sky was a pale grey and little light illuminated the room, but the elegant locket gleamed, still hanging around her neck. It must be very early, she thought. She sighed, and turned over on her side in an attempt to go back to sleep, but she sat up with a jolt when she heard her bedroom door creaking open. It was far too early for it to be Martha, she usually arrived with breakfast by about half past six –

'Colin?' she hissed, 'What on earth…! Quick, get back to bed, before someone finds you here -'

'It's all right, Mary, everyone's asleep.' Her cousin replied, sitting next to her on the bed. 'I just wanted to talk to you for a while, just like we used to.'

'But Colin, we're far too old for that sort of thing now. We're not children anymore! Please, Colin. We'll get into so much trouble if anyone finds out that you've been in my bedchamber!'

'I know we're not children anymore, Mary.' He replied. The gentle smile on his lips was infectious, it filled Mary with warmth. They were now lying side by side, facing each other. He looked down and saw she was still wearing the locket.

'I had the locket made especially for you.' he began. 'Yours is the only one like it in the whole world.'

She held it between her fingers, inspecting the delicate pattern of roses that entwined themselves around the edge. It was oval-shaped. But also…

'There's a little hole here, in the side. See?' Colin whispered, showing her. 'It's a keyhole. You can only open it if you have the key.' He laughed and tugged at a thin chain around his neck. A tiny key shape dangled in front of her.

Mary was silent; she didn't know what to say.

'Open it.' he said very quietly, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. Taking the tiny key and pushing it into the side of the locket, it sprang open, revealing a little photo of themselves when they were children, sitting facing each other on the swing.

'It's wonderful!' she whispered in reply, and his eyes opened slowly.

'You know I meant it' he said slowly, 'when I said I wanted to marry you, all those years ago. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone except you.'

'Then you will.' she replied, grinning, and gently kissing him on the forehead. 'No matter what happens, Colin, we'll always be together.'

The light outside had brightened slightly. Colin leapt off the bed and ran to the doorway, turning to face her.

'I have to go; the servants will be around soon. I'll see you at breakfast; I thought we could go to town today for lunch and celebrate your birthday properly…'

He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible, and Mary heard his footsteps disappear along the corridor.

* * *

Colin was ordering the footmen to prepare the carriage to journey into town when he saw Mrs Medlock hurrying towards him.

'Master Colin, your father requests your presence in his study immediately.'


	5. You Are Not Children Anymore

Hello, found several emails in my old inbox telling me to update this story...I'd given up fanfiction until today, really sorry about the appallingly long wait! - E x

* * *

'Explain yourself.'

Colin sullenly met his father's gaze across the study. His father had presumably asked him to follow him there to ensure the utmost privacy of the conversation that followed, for even though they had enjoyed a relatively normal relationship these past few years, Archie Craven still turned to his office as his last port of solitude against the world.

'There was nothing to explain, Father. Mary was awake and dressed when I visited her this morning, I can assure you that I did not compromise her privacy. Moreover I am astounded that you have evidently taken to the habit of having me followed about the place -'

'I cannot be sure of the decency of your visit to Mary's room this morning, Colin, nor am I sure that you do not visit her every other morning, perhaps in even the night, when she is in her underclothes and the servants suspect a union between you two too little to keep a watchful eye. And don't look so incredulous, please. I am your father, and I was a young man once, and of course I can tell that your feelings for each other are hardly platonic any more. I am ashamed to think that you may already have had your way with her, and that the damage has already been done.'

'I most certainly have not touched her, how dare you even mention anything of the sort to me -'

'I had you followed this morning because I have had my suspicions for a while, as I know you could tell, and I saw you heading in the direction of her room as I was leaving here earlier. However intimate yourself and your cousin may or may not already be, and in truth I do doubt that you are the sort of young man who would put such a fine young woman at such a monstrous disadvantage by daring to touch her, I cannot allow your relationship to develop any further. You know I have, on the whole, neglected my duty as a father to you. I have become far too reclusive and I have not taken it upon myself to introduce you properly to the world as my son, and also as an heir of a large estate -'

'Father, you have to understand, my affection for Mary is entirely honourable. And I must make it clear that, when we are both older, I have no intention of marrying any other girl.'

'Dear Colin, you do not know any other girls but Mary, how on earth can you know what you want?' He paused to study his son's youthful face, pale in the dawn light and hardened into a hateful stare. Colin's behaviour had improved in leaps and bounds in the past six years, but his stubbornness had prevailed. 'Please be reasonable. We are already seen to be a queer, sickly household as far as society is concerned, and you know I cannot allow you to mar our reputation further with the taint of incest.'

'She – we're cousins! It would be perfectly acceptable – it's not like she's my sister -'

'You are so alike, Colin, that she may as well be. Imagine what kind of children you would have, you who had been weak, frail little things youselves. I took it upon myself after her arrival to make Misselthwaite a more normal, open, healthy place, and as such I believe that a marriage with someone outside of our odd little circle would do everyone here a lot of good. But that aside, you simply cannot have Mary. It really would not do. If I am not deceived, your affection for each other is merely childish and will pass in time.'

Colin listened in an appalled silence.

'It is for these reasons that I have chosen to prevent the both of you from becoming too close by arranging for you to be sent to a boys' boarding school in London for a term, where you will have the company of other young men your age, and for you to be formally introduced to the families of those I have been fortunate enough to stay in touch with after all these years. I truly believe this is the best thing for you. As for Mary, she never did have a governess, and so I have arranged something of the sort for her, so she can learn properly how to act like a lady instead of a little wild girl from the moor. You are not children any more. It is high time that I was more strict in raising you.'


End file.
